Devious Ice
by coolman229
Summary: When Elsa receives a letter from the Southern Isles she's not sure how to respond. Does she visit them? Pairings: Helsa, bits of Kristanna
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Trade Agreement

**So this is my first fanfic I've ever written. Well, not counting that thing I wrote for Star Fox Adventures as a kid. But recently I've gotten in deep with Helsa and a friend convinced me to write a fic based on my fanon. So, uh, here it is.**

* * *

Elsa sat breathless at her desk. Her duties as queen regnant were exhausting, but never shocking. Between given her approval and directions of the country's affairs, the most she'd have to do was settle a dispute or iron out details of trade agreements. But today was different. A letter lay before her. It was from the crown prince of the Southern Isles. Something she'd never thought she'd get.

She was confused, though, from all the apologizing in the letter. After dealing with Hans she had a hard time imagining the crown prince, of all people, pleading out to the point that it became rather overly apologetic. But the main point was that he wanted to meet with her in person to give her a formal apology from the royal family and to open up trade agreements.

Not that the snow queen was opposed to having another trade partner (Arendelle was in need of several supplies), but she had reservations about the Southern Isles. Even though it's been three months since she unleashed an eternal winter, the memories of Hans manipulating her and Anna, and trying to kill them still burned vividly in her mind. Just the thought of it made her chest tighten.

_Relax Elsa. Let it go_, she told herself.

The picture of Hans standing there telling her that Anna had died resurfaced. Despite her best efforts to remain calm she felt a surge of anger. _How dare anyone try to hurt Anna?_ A layer of ice started to grow on her chair.

_No. Let it go_. The ice slowly disappeared. Elsa took a deep breath.

Recently Elsa had been making progress in dealing with her emotions. Having Anna to talk to has been extremely helpful. But she still has moments where she gets overwhelmed. She had to talk to Anna. Elsa stood up from her chair and headed for the door, only taking a second to glance back at the letter before opening the door and heading out.

Anna was out with Kristoff, helping him with his ice harvesting. She insisted that she help, despite Kristoff constantly telling her that he's fine. He'd given up a while ago trying to stop her. They should be back soon, so Elsa decided to wait for her.

* * *

Elsa walked quickly towards the two as they approached. They bickered as usual, Anna riding her horse, and Kristoff riding Sven. Several guards followed, assigned by Elsa to assure that Anna was safe when she went out.

"Hey Elsa! I harvested ice!" Anna triumphantly proclaimed, patting Kristoff on the shoulder. "Ha! Told you I was going to be useful!" A big smile stretched across her face.

"You moved two blocks," Kristoff replied, deadpan. Anna made a grumpy face.

"Good evening Kristoff. Thank you for taking care of Anna. May I speak with her alone?" Elsa kindly asked.

"Oh! Uh… Of course!" Kristoff still wasn't quite used to the queen of Arendelle being the sister of the girl he's dating. He leaned over to Anna wanting to give her a kiss before he left, but he was too far away from her and almost fell off Sven. Anna laughed and moved closer to him to give him a quick kiss. Kristoff sat there with a goofy smile on his face before saying bye and heading out. He didn't get too far before he remembered and turned around on Sven.

"Hey we still on for Thursday?" he shouted, now sitting backwards on Sven.

"Yeah!" Anna waved as she shouted back, excited for her next date with Kristoff.

Elsa felt awkward talking to Anna sometimes, especially when she was asking something. They've grown closer these three months but 13 years of separation don't heal so easy. Anna got off her horse and hugged Elsa.

"So I take it you had fun?" Elsa inquired with a smile. Despite her awkwardness there was something about Anna that put her at ease.

"Oh yeah! Got to flex my muscles and show that ice who's boss!" Anna boasted, walking alongside Elsa inside the castle.

"I'm glad you had a good time. Anna…." Elsa paused. Anna looked worried.

"Elsa?"

Elsa wondered if she should ask this of Anna.

"Anna, I received a letter today."

"A letter? Don't you get like a million of those a day?"

"Yes, but this one…is from the Southern Isles," Elsa finally managed to say.

Anna stopped for a moment.

"Oh….Anything…_in particular_?" She seemed lost on how to respond. Elsa turned to her sister.

"It was from the crown prince, apologizing for what happened and inviting me to visit to set up trade between Arendelle and the Southern Isles" the queen explained. Anna nodded in an almost feigned understanding. They resumed their walk.

"Okay…" Anna trailed. "So what are you going to do?"

"I'm thinking about accepting it. Even with our new trade partners, we're lacking things we used to get from Weselton. This could help Arendelle. I don't want to open up trade with the Southern Isles, but we need the help and the letter seems sincere."

"So did Hans," Anna pointed out, her reply laced with anger. Both sisters ground to a halt. This is what Elsa was worried about. As much as Elsa hated the idea of it, she at least wanted to explore the possibility, if only for Arendelle's sake. And as much as she didn't want to believe it, the crown prince honestly seemed like he wanted to apologize. Elsa remained quiet, contemplating Anna's words.

Anna noticed Elsa's expression. "You're…not actually going are you?"

Elsa made up her mind.

"Yes," she declared with a surge of confidence, straightening her posture.

"But Elsa you ca-" Elsa cut her off as she started walking, putting her hand up.

"Anna, I understand your concern, but trust me. If this turns out to be bad I'll cut ties immediately. I'll bring extra guards, and if it comes to it I will use my powers. You'll be in charge while I'm gone. You'll be okay with that, right?"

Anna sighed deeply, realizing that she wasn't going to get anywhere arguing with her sister.

"Yeah…. I'm just worried that something will go _horribly_ wrong and I don't want anything to happen to you."

Elsa turned to her sister and smiled.

"Don't worry Anna. I'll be extremely cautious. The trip will take at most a couple days." Elsa said, and then turned to prepare for the trip.

Anna mumbled to herself.

"That's not it Elsa…."

* * *

The next day the ship was being prepped by the crew and the guards were standing by near Elsa and Anna, with Kai supervising the preparations. Kristoff had come by for Anna and Olaf was attempting to help guard. It was a sunny day out but Olaf's personal cloud kept him nice and cold.

As the royal sisters stood at the dock, Anna started acting squirmish. Elsa noticed that this was clearly bothering her.

"I'll be back as soon as I can Anna. I won't leave you in charge for too long. You'll have plenty of help while I'm gone," she reassured her sister. Anna's expression didn't change.

"It's….not that," Anna glanced down squeezing her hands. Elsa knew something was wrong but she couldn't figure out what.

"Anna, what is it?" Elsa asked earnestly. Anna looked up.

"It's just…mom and dad…." Anna said quietly.

Then the realization came crashing down. She had been so busy preparing and worrying about dealing with the Southern Isles that she completely forgot.

Elsa took her worried sister's hands and looked her in the eyes.

"Anna. I promise you that I'll come back. I won't leave you alone." Elsa pulled her sister in for a hug and refused to let go. She couldn't ignore the very real possibility that something could happen at sea, but she would have to be dragged to the bottom of the ocean by the gods before she left Anna alone again. She finally released the hug, still holding on to her little sister.

"You'll be fine Anna."

Anna smiled. Elsa wasn't going to put Anna through pain like that again. The captain called to the queen that the ship was ready to set sail. Anna gave Elsa a slight nod. Elsa signaled her guards that she was ready and proceeded to board the ship.

Olaf started following Elsa up the ramp. She noticed and gave a small chuckle before kneeling down to his level.

"Sorry Olaf. I need you to stay here in Arendelle while I'm away."

"I need to go with you," Olaf responded in his usual attempt to help.

"Thank you, but Anna's going to need you more. Can you do me a big favor Olaf and help Anna run Arendelle while I'm away?"

"Okay," the little snowman said with a twinge of disappointment. He then got close and whispered "Be careful about that one," pointing to one of the royal guards. "_He smells and I don't trust him_."

"I'll take your worries under advisement," Elsa said with a smile. She watched Olaf waddle over to Anna and Kristoff.

The snow queen took a deep breath and boarded the ship, followed by her royal guards. Olaf eyed the smelly guard, motioning that he was keeping an eye on him. Elsa made her way to her room. She was starting to have doubts about the trip, but she couldn't back out. She had already sent word to the Southern Isles that she was coming.

_Arendelle needs this_, Elsa reassured herself. _It's the Queen's duty to do things she doesn't want for the sake of her kingdom._

The boat started to move. Elsa peered out her window and saw as Anna became harder to see, Olaf's little body disappeared, and slowly Arendelle became smaller.

_There's no going back now._

* * *

The boat pulled into the docks of the Southern Isles. It was a misty morning in the kingdom. The Captain knocked on Elsa's door and announced that they had arrived. Elsa was laying down in the bed but found it hard to rest when she had the feeling that she was walking straight into the lions' den. The uneasy queen had fallen asleep and woken up multiple times during the trip, even taking a walk on the ship in the middle of the night.

The queen had already changed into her formal dress and done her hair for the meeting with the crown prince. She preferred to wear ice dresses and keep her hair undone but they were hardly proper for a meeting with foreign royalty.

She sat up but stopped short of standing. She found herself taking quick breaths. Breathing was becoming difficult.

_You can do this Elsa. It's only a meeting. You have plenty of guards. This….this isn't going to go badly._

No matter how much she told herself that the thought still gripped her. But she wasn't going to let that stop her. She has a job to do. She rose, and strode to the door. Opening it, she was met with a wall of guards.

"We've checked out the dock, Queen Elsa. It's secure," one of the guards informed her.

"Thank you. I'm ready to go now," Elsa told her guards. They proceeded to make their way off the boat in formation, Elsa walking calmly in the middle. The docks were an elaborate mix of intricately placed stones and wood. She didn't expect the Southern Isles to be so….artistic.

"Queen Elsa!" called a voice in the distant. Elsa checked in the direction of the voice and found that it belonged to a man who bore a strong resemblance to Hans running towards her, followed by a handful of elaborately dressed guards in red. This must be the crown prince. As he approached Elsa could see that he was noticeably older than Hans, probably in his mid to late thirties. While he had the same sideburns as Hans he had more brownish hair, and a neatly trimmed beard dressing his more angular chin. The uniform he wore was a slightly more elaborate version of what Hans wore in Arendelle. Fitting for the man who was first in line for the crown. He slowed his pace as he neared the guards. Elsa motioned for the guards to part to allow her to speak to the crown prince.

"Queen Elsa of Arendelle!" He knelt down quickly onto his left knee, putting his left arm over it as he bowed his head. Elsa was almost off put by the formality. He stood up and Elsa saw that he was quite tall. Her head barely reached his nose.

"I humbly welcome you to the Southern Isles. I am Crown Prince Kristan," he proclaimed with a smile almost too honest and sincere. "I take it by your letter that you are willing to open up trade?"

"I am here to assess if this will be good for Arendelle. Your letter mentioned several goods that we need." Elsa recited, barely making eye contact. She had practiced those words over and over again on the trip here. Kristan's livid eyes relaxed.

"Thank you. I've prepared a room for us to negotiate at the castle," Kristan said, leading Elsa towards a carriage. It was covered with delicate golden designs, contrasting the dark colors of the vehicle. "I just want to apologize again for what Hans put you and your kingdom through."

"Oh, that's alright," Elsa reassured the prince.

As they walked Elsa saw a middle aged man and woman, both in regal gowns and wearing crowns, stare at her. There were a herd of guards behind them.

"It's shameful for the crown prince to bow like that in his own kingdom. We raised him with more dignity than that," the king muttered in disgust.

"We don't owe them anything," the queen spat with equal disgust, just loud enough for Elsa to hear. "I can't believe we let Kristan drag us all the way out here for this. Acting like what Hans did was _our_ problem."

Elsa felt their gaze on her. They pierced her wall of guards and hit her directly. It made her supremely uncomfortable. It was already hard enough being in an unfamiliar kingdom. She didn't need the king and queen making it worse. Elsa decided to keep herself focused on Kristan, to at least try and ignore them. It was then she noticed a pained expression on his face.

He tried to hide the expression with a smile as he opened the carriage door for her. The king and queen boarded their own larger, more elaborate carriage.

"Some of your guards can ride on top of the carriage, but I don't think they'll all fit," said the prince when he noticed that there were too many guards for the carriage to hold. Elsa felt reasonably safe letting a few of her guards go. She told 3 of them to go back to the ship, and entered the carriage followed by the prince. The remaining bodyguards stepped up onto the carriage and sat on the front and back of it. The guards who were with Kristan retreated to the docks upon his entrance to the carriage.

Elsa and Kristan sat opposite each other. The seats were extremely comfortable, and seemed to be made of a soft red felt. There was a silence as it started to move.

"I apologize for my parents," Kristan said suddenly. "They're….not used to guests." He gazed out the window at the town they were passing through.

Elsa didn't really know how to respond. It was clear that Kristan didn't want to admit how bad his parents were, at least not to her. But since they were in relative privacy, she had a question she had wanted to ask for a while. The queen took a breath.

"What happened to Hans when he was brought back?" Elsa asked. Kristan pulled his gaze from the window with a solemn look. Elsa figured what happened.

"I take it he was…"

"No," he interrupted. "Oh no no. My parents wanted it, but I….I couldn't." It looked to Elsa as if he was on the brink of tears.

"I couldn't sentence my little brother to death. Not even with what he'd done. I just….couldn't." His eyes started to water, but he quickly wiped his tears and composed himself.

Elsa felt sorry for him. She can only imagine how she would feel if she was told to put Anna to death. The thought scared her immensely.

"As an older sister…. I know what you mean," Elsa tried to sympathize.

"Thank you," Kristan said softly. He looked back out the window.

Silence resumed. The only sounds were of the horses, along with the wheels rolling along the stone street.

Elsa hated having the burden of conversation fall on her. She could never figure out what to say to break the silence.

_Come on Elsa. You have to do something. You can't leave them with a weak impression._

"It seems we're nearing the castle now," Kristan announced before she could say anything.

Elsa peered out her window. The castle was quite magnificent. It appeared to be much older than the Arendelle castle, and a bit larger.

"The castle is one of the oldest in the region. I've actually had several areas of it remodeled recently," Kristan was trying to make small talk.

They pulled up to a guard post, where they were inspected by Southern Isle guards. Elsa's royal guards eyed the foreign ones carefully, only letting up when they were cleared to pass. As they closed in on the castle a great drawbridge eased down in front of them. All in all the castle wasn't too far away from the docks, though it was very different from Arendelle castle. They entered the castle grounds and the carriage stopped.

Elsa's guards hopped off of the carriage and stood at attention in front of the carriage door. Kristan exited first, holding a hand for Elsa. She took it and stepped out. They were in a large courtyard not dissimilar from Arendelle castle. About a dozen guards rushed towards them from the castle lead by a middle aged man in uniform, causing Elsa's guards to draw their weapons.

"Prince Kristan! What were you thinking?! You decided to leave with the king and queen without informing your guard?" the lead guard shouted. Kristan laughed. The Arendelle guards relaxed.

"It's alright John. It was only a quick trip to the docks to meet our guest. I took a few guards from the dock with me," the prince replied with a smile. John looked perturbed about the whole situation.

"Don't do this again! I mean it! I have enough problems as is. Just because you're the crown prince doesn't mean you get to be reckless!" John screamed, almost going red in the face. He took a deep breath and calmed down. "At least you're safe. And you're back." Kristan patted him on the shoulder and John left with his guards muttering to himself.

Elsa was feeling a tad awkward. Like a third wheel on her own trip. Honestly it was all very overwhelming for her.

"Are you alright, Queen Elsa?" Kristan inquired.

"Yes. I've just never been outside of my kingdom before. This is a lot to take in." Elsa answered.

"Don't worry. This shouldn't take too long. We can-" Kristan stopped.

A woman who appeared to be in her early thirties walked out of the castle. She was beautiful, with silky brown hair tied back in bun, wearing a simple dark dress embroidered with fancy designs. She walked elegantly towards them.

"Oh! Queen Elsa. Let me introduce you. This is my wife, Princess Marianne." Kristan declared. She slide over to him and gave her husband a quick kiss, holding for a second as they leaned their foreheads together. They moved apart, the princess turning to their guest.

"You must be Queen Elsa of Arendelle. It's a pleasure to meet you," Princess Marianne politely said as she gave a curtsey. Elsa curtseyed back.

"So how do you like the Southern Isles so far?" the princess asked.

"It's…different. And I'm pretty sure the king and queen don't like me."

"Oh tell me about it," Marianne spat out, dropping her politeness. "They made me marry into their family and I'm still pretty sure they don't like me. They're just _really_ unhappy people."

Elsa was surprised by the frankness of the princess.

"You know I'm just glad to have another girl to talk to. As much as I love Kristan, being surrounded by so many guys can be draining." Elsa felt a bit uncomfortable with her friendliness but didn't want to be rude.

"When can we start negotiations?" Elsa asked, bordering on desperation. She really wanted to get things done with.

"Oh," Kristan said in astonishment. "We can start immediately if you'd like."

"That would be preferable."

Kristan led the way into the castle, followed

"Have fun!" exclaimed Marianne, waving.

* * *

The next hour was spent with Elsa and Kristan discussing the trade agreement. It ended up being a pretty good deal for Arendelle. While it didn't cover everything, the Southern Isles were actually able to make up for a decent amount of the goods they used to get from Weasel town.

As she was leaving the castle Kristan stopped her.

"Queen Elsa! I forgot about our official apology," he called.

"Oh, that's not necessary. You're apologized enough for my satisfaction," Elsa really wanted to leave.

"But we have a dinner planned in your honor," Kristan said, hopeful.

"I wasn't aware of any event," Elsa replied worried. It was starting to get dark.

_Oh no. They're going to keep me here forever. _

"It won't take too long," Kristan assured her. Despite how much she wanted to leave she followed Kristan to the great hall. It was set up with two long rows of tables going all along the hall and dancers lining the middle. There was a smaller table up at the front with three spots. Elsa was led to the front and sat down at the table next to Kristan and Marianne.

After their food was served Kristan spoke up.

"Do you like it?" He asked.

To be honest, the answer was no. Elsa didn't like it. The singing and dancing, all the people, it was too much. She couldn't manage to eat a single bite. Her heart started beating rapidly.

"Is that snow?!" a random person called out.

Elsa quickly pushed out her chair.

"I'm sorry Prince Kristan, but I have to go," Elsa quickly said, leaving the party in a hurry. Kristan was confused, but realized something was wrong.

"It seems Queen Elsa decided to gift us with some of her winter magic!" she heard Kristan proclaim as she ran. The snow queen passed her guards at the door. They made a move to follow her but noticed the icy footsteps that trailed their queen. Their standing orders for such an event was to give the queen space.

Once outside she collected herself. She leaned against a stone wall. She pulled her hair down and combed it back with her hand. She always felt better when she did that.

_That was close_, she thought to herself. She wasn't going to doom the Southern Isles to an eternal winter. At least not yet.

She noticed the princess standing there, and straightened up her posture.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't feeling well," Elsa started to explain, but Marianne put her hand up.

"That's alright. The whole dinner was too much. I tried to stop Kristan from organizing it but he insisted on it. He's very kind, but he can go overboard sometimes," she had the gentlest voice. "I take it you'll be leaving now?"

"Yes," Elsa said, relieved at the chance to go back home. "I think I've had enough excitement for one day."

The princess turned and whistled. A handful of guards appeared and lined up in front of her.

"We can leave right now," the princess said to Elsa. "Soldier," she directed at the guard in front of her. "Inform Captain John that our guest is leaving. And that I'll be escorting her. Oh, and tell my husband that Queen Elsa is alright."

"Yes, m'lady!" he ran towards the castle with haste. Elsa threw up a small blast of ice into the air. Her guards immediately came to her.

The two royal women walked in the dark across the courtyard, each with their respective guards walking alongside them. As they made their way Elsa spotted an iron door with two guards posted on either side.

"Is that the prison?" Elsa asked.

"Yes, but not the general prison. We only keep special prisoners there, like-" she paused.

"Like Hans?" Elsa finished. Marianne sighed.

"Yes, Hans is in there," she admitted to Elsa quietly. "We're trying to keep it as quiet as possible. Only the guards and the royal family know where he is."

"Why would you need to keep it such a secret?" Elsa was honestly confused.

"Did you think the Southern Isles would welcome him back with open arms after he tried to usurp a foreign kingdom?" Marianne sounded upset. "Kristan was really the only thing that stood in the way of Hans being executed on the spot. He was afraid that if Hans' imprisonment was more public someone would try _something_." Elsa got the hint.

"I want to see him," Elsa declared.

"Whoa whoa whoa-what?" Marianne stopped. "Are you sure?"

"I have nothing to fear. I have a few things I would like to say to him," Elsa stated.

The first part was a lie. Elsa was afraid. But she wanted to confront Hans. She never got the chance back in Arendelle because Anna punched him off the boat before anyone could do anything. As long as she was in the Southern Isles, she might as well. She didn't have plans to come back anytime soon.

"Well alright," shrugged the princess. She led Elsa towards the door and walked up to the two guards.

"I am Princess Marianne. We're here to see the prisoner."

The two guards eyed each other before one pulled out a set of brass keys, thumbing his way to the right key. He opened the door and walked inside. Before Elsa stepped inside, she turned to the princess.

"I'd rather talk to him alone, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Marianne obliged, putting her hands up and stepping back. The Arendelle guards reluctantly stayed behind.

Elsa stepped cautiously down the dark stone steps. They were long and faintly lit by the torches on the walls. Along the walls there were several barred openings that led down other hallways. The age of the catacombs was apparent. She went through several gates that had been unlocked by the guard. He remained at the last one. The queen walked past him, and rounded the corner.

She was in a large open room. There was a column in the middle, and to her right was a large cell, with bars running from wall to wall. The walls on the side of the cell was curved, contrasting the flat walls opposite. The disgraced prince sat in the middle of the cell, head lowered. He was dimly lit by the torches and the moonlight from a small opening high on his cell. He twitched at the sound of Elsa walking in but didn't move. The snow queen approached the cell.

"Hello, Hans," Elsa spat with an air of confidence.

Hans looked up slowly, his eyes focused.

"Oh what did I do right to deserve the visit of the wonderful queen of Arendelle?" he finally said with sarcasm dripping off of every word. His appearance shocked Elsa.

What she saw before her was a far cry from the clean cut man she knew. He wore dirty simple clothes, with his bare hands shackled. A chain connecting the shackles to the ground ran along the floor. His hair was filthy and messy. He didn't seem to have shaved in a while either. His eyes were surrounded by dark bags. And Elsa was pretty sure she saw a bruise on his left cheek. It caught her off guard. She hadn't put much thought into what three months of prison would do to him.

"Have you come to laugh at me?" He sneered. It was clear Hans wasn't lowering any defenses just because he was in prison.

Elsa wasn't quite sure what to do now. Hans just smiled and chuckled.

"It seems the dear queen is lost for words," he joked. Elsa looked down.

"Oh you don't need to feel uncomfortable," his voice softened, becoming more reassuring. "It's just you and me."

Elsa couldn't explain it, but his words hit something deeper in her. It was like he knew exactly what to say. He did it at the ice castle when he stopped her from killing those two men, and he was doing it now. Trying to ignore it, she raised her head in defiance. She wouldn't let him manipulate her. She had to be alert.

"I don't need you to tell me when I should be comfortable," Elsa retorted. She realized after she said it that it sounded a lot better in her head. She shook off the embarrassment. Hans smiled.

Her intent was to give him a piece of her mind, but she found it hard when he looked so pathetic.

"You put me and my sister through a lot of grief. You're a terrible human being," Elsa shot.

"Oh you're one to talk. Cutting Anna out of all those years-" Hans shot back, matching Elsa's tone. But he was interrupted when a snowball hit his face.

_I won't let you manipulate me. I won't let you play me. _

The snowball fell off his face. He wiped the rest off with his dirty, shackled hands.

"Fine then," Hans replied defiantly.

This was not going as planned.

Hans sat up, locking eyes with the queen.

_He's handsome. Wait what? _Elsa found herself thinking. _No don't think that. He's crazy. He tried to kill you._

Hans kept his eyes locked on hers. His face shifted emotions. Elsa closed her eyes quickly, breaking the link. She felt violated. Like he was reaching into her, poking and prodding her deepest parts.

"This was a bad idea," Elsa admitted, turning away from Hans.

"If you're not here to yell at me or kill me, then I'd prefer to be alone," Hans said, himself turning away.

There was something in how he was talking….something odd. Repetitive.

"What…what are you doing when you talk?" Elsa asked curiously.

"What?" Hans questioned.

It hit Elsa.

"You're mirroring me," Elsa asserted. That was it.

Hans' face went blank. He wasn't quite sure what to make of that.

"I-,"

"That's wrong? Your silver tongue turned to lead?" Elsa smirked. Finally a good line.

Hans leaned back, grinding his teeth. She won that round.

She left him speechless. Elsa felt satisfied with that. She turned to the exit and proceeded to leave, a smile on her face from her small victory.

"Elsa," He called right before Elsa left. Elsa stopped in her tracks just a step away from the exit. "Can I say something crazy?" Elsa turned her head to look at Hans. He was wearing a relaxed face.

"I don't like crazy," the snow queen dropped.

Hans just smiled and leaned back. He liked this. Elsa continued her way down the hall and up the steps.

"I get it," he spoke up. "The loneliness. You and I, we're not so dissimilar." It wasn't mocking. It wasn't an attack. It seemed like an honest comment.

And that's what bothered her.

Elsa made her way out trying to get those words out of her head.

* * *

**PHEW. That was pretty intense. I hope you liked it. This ended up being a lot longer than I intended. Man over 5,000 words in this chapter. I thought it would be like maybe 2,000. Shows what I know. I have a lot of plans for this story. I think I did pretty good for my first time. I'm not exactly a descriptive writer so I have to force myself to describe things. I would like to thank my beta for helping me with this ;D Look forward to the second chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Sending the Letter

**Okay! It seems that several people liked my first chapter! I'm really glad! I was worried that people wouldn't like it. Now I do in fact have a plan and a rough outline for the story, but I'm filling it out as I go. Sorry this took so long. I had most of it done and then I just got distracted.**

* * *

"_You and I, we're not so dissimilar"_

What could that mean? He couldn't possibly be saying that they were the same. She wouldn't believe it. But no matter how much Elsa tried to put the words out of her mind they kept burrowing their way back into it.

"Your majesty?" called the advisor. Elsa snapped back to her meeting. She was at an ornate oval mahogany table sitting with five of her advisors. There had been a report from some of the soldiers posted at the Weselton border that some suspicious individuals were seen.

"Yes," she replied. "I understand your concern about the border but we don't need to take extreme measures." The advisor sighed.

"You can't ignore the disturbances that have been reported. This sounds serious. We need to send troops down there immediately!" the man pleaded. Elsa collected herself.

"Alright. We'll send _some_ troops to scout. If these reports have merit we will take action. I don't want to start a war with Wease-Weselton," Elsa instructed.

"Yes your majesty," he resigned. He sat back in his chair, not making it a secret that he wanted quicker action taken.

"Well, that about wraps it up," announced another advisor. The tall man shuffled some papers and pushed up his glasses. Aside from the border issue it was just another meeting about the same old things. The queen had been sitting in that meeting for hours and was bored out of her mind. Not to mention the stress was getting to her. Elsa always got stressed out from her advisor meetings, having to argue and defend herself constantly against the more stubborn ones. The conclusion of today's meeting brought a sense of relief to the snow queen. She rose from her chair and turned to her advisors.

"So what are your orders your majesty?" asked the advisor.

"Tell the Captain at the border to organize a scouting party. Have them search the area for traces of these intruders or anything odd, and then report back," she ordered.

"Yes your majesty," he answered. He quickly exited the room to give the orders.

"If that is all there is to discuss, I will be in my room resting," Elsa told the remaining advisors. She left the room and headed to her bed chamber.

* * *

Once inside she shut the door and leaned against it. Today wasn't too stressful all things considered, but it wasn't eventful either.

So this is what her mother and father did on a daily basis. Meetings, discussions, arguments, being annoyed by advisors and military officers left and right all day. By now it was midafternoon and Elsa just wanted to do nothing. She took a deep breath and pulled her hair out of the loose bun it was in, combing it back. Elsa strolled over to the mirror in her room. There was something about this hairstyle that she liked. She felt more like herself when she wore her hair like this.

She slid off her dress, letting it fall at her feet. Raising her hands, Elsa formed a fancy dress with her powers. The exhausted queen walked over to her bed, collapsing on it. She loved wearing ice dresses. She wished she could wear them all the time. The royal tailor was extremely annoyed when he discovered that she had destroyed her coronation gown in the process of making her first ice dress, so she promised not to mess up any of her other dresses. The ice dresses were great for public appearances but she felt it was more proper to wear normal dresses for meetings.

"_Can I say something crazy?"_

Elsa heard Hans' voice again. Why won't it stop? She buried her face in her hands.

She wanted to know what he meant. It was killing her not to know. Why would he say they were similar?

_Did he… could he know what my loneliness was like? _The pale queen pondered. She slid her hands down her face, resting the tips of her fingers on her chin.

_You could write a letter_, she thought to herself. It would allow her to communicate with him without having to be face to face. So she wouldn't have to worry about being flustered. It would be easy to get a letter to Hans. While Elsa and Kristan had come to an agreement, there were still some papers that needed to be finalized. He had sent papers over and Elsa just needed to sign send the last of them back. She could just put a letter to Hans in with them. Kristan would surely help her.

The queen stretched out on her bed. She couldn't think about this right now. Not with the day she'd had. Maybe later, but not now.

She needed to relax. Anna didn't have anything to do today, and it's been a while since they had a decent amount of time to be with each other. She smiled.

Elsa leapt off her bed and ran out of her door. Moving down the halls she ran into Gerda.

"Gerda, do you know where Anna is?" she asked the caretaker. Gerda gave a smile.

"Yes your majesty. She's in the library," Gerda happily informed the queen.

"Thank you!" Elsa called as she quickly made her way to the library. It warmed the woman's heart to see the queen out and about. She and Kai had tried so hard for a long time to get Elsa to do anything other than hole herself up in her room and keep to herself that the very sight of her running to find her sister was more than enough to make her happy.

Arriving at the doors to the library, the snow queen marched up and burst open the doors. Anna was balancing atop of a large pillar made of books, holding one up and dramatically reciting it. Upon Elsa's entrance she was distracted and fell off, landing on a pile of books. Anna turned her attention to her elder sister.

"Hey Anna. Do you want to build a snowman?" Elsa said with a sneaky smile. The energetic younger sister lit up.

* * *

A man wearing a brown hat from the town arrived at the castle, two guards escorting him to the main door. Upon being informed, Kai answered the man at the door.

"May I help you sir?"

"I would like to speak with the queen, if I may," the gentleman said.

"I'm very sorry sir, but the queen isn't available right now," Kai told the man. Whoosh sounds were heard behind Kai. The visitor saw the queen and princess skating through the castle on paths of ice. He stood there not knowing what to say.

"The queen is resting, please come back tomorrow," Kai started closing the door.

"Wait I saw-!" the man objected before the door was closed on him. He awkwardly stood there before leaving, taking off his hat and holding it in disappointment.

* * *

The two sisters sped down the hallways, Elsa providing a steady stream of ice to make a track on the floors that guided them through the many hallways of their castle. Anna clutched onto Elsa to keep herself from falling, the elder sister quietly appreciating that she could support her little sister.

But Elsa was distracted by her sister and lost her balance heading into a turn. Thinking quickly she summoned a large pile of snow that softened their landing. Anna ended up completely buried with her legs sticking out, but Elsa heard her sister laugh beneath the soft snow.

It was moments like this that Elsa cherished. Being able to forget that they're royalty and just have fun.

"Oh!" Anna suddenly exclaimed to Elsa's surprise. She burst out of the pile of soft snow. "It's Thursday! My date with Kristoff!"

She leapt out of the snow, wiping the powder off her dress. Elsa was saddened that Anna was leaving so soon. The energetic princess bolted down the hall before Elsa stopped her.

"Anna!" the queen called. Anna stopped and turned towards her sister. Elsa held her arms out and Anna ran into her for a hug. Elsa held her sister close. It had become an unspoken rule that before either of them left they had to hug. They never wanted to leave on bad terms or without saying goodbye.

"Have fun with Kristoff," Elsa told her sister. Anna gave a big smile.

"I will!" Anna proclaimed as she hurried to meet Kristoff. Elsa stood there watching her sister disappear around a corner. With a wave of her hand the snow and ice dissipated into the air. The hallway was quiet.

Alone again.

The snow queen sighed deeply and walked to her room.

* * *

Elsa entered her room, closing the door with a small gust of snow. With no distractions her thoughts drifted back towards Hans and his words.

She peered at her desk, the stationary set up with the incomplete trade papers.

This was her chance. As she approached her desk fear started to consume her. What if Hans' answer was something she didn't want to hear? What if he told her she was just as much of a monster as he was? It was becoming difficult to breath.

_No Elsa. There's nothing to worry about. You're not a monster._

Elsa grasped at the chair on her desk, frost beginning to coat it.

"_Don't be the monster they fear you are!"_ Hans' voice cut into her.

WHY. Why are his words coming back to her? Why can't she get them out of her head?

Ice spread from the chair onto the floor.

_Calm down Elsa. Just let it go._

The queen took a deep breath. She gathered the ice up and turned it into a puff of snow. Elsa made up her mind. She needed to write that letter. She needed answers. Taking a seat at her desk she picked up Kristan's letter and papers. She gave the papers a once over just to check that everything was as they discussed. Confirming that it was, she signed it and then reached for blank paper from her stationary.

_Here it goes._

"Dear Prince Hans…"

* * *

It was a dark night in the Southern Isles. Hans sat alone in his cell, with only a few torches for light glistening off the damp floors. He was trying to sleep on the dirty mat he was provided with as much as he could. The disgraced prince had mostly gotten used to it, but that didn't stop it from being unbearably uncomfortable. The cold is what really made it hard. He was a prince. He should be king - not stuck for the rest of his life in this forsaken prison. Hans shifted onto his back.

"_I don't like crazy."_

Hans cracked a smile. What an answer. If anything the Arendelle monarch's visit was a nice break from the monotony of prison life, and better then a visit from any of his brothers. It was really the only time he'd enjoyed himself at all in these last three months. He wondered if he'd ever see her again. Doubtful.

But…He kept thinking about her comment that he was mirroring her. This baffled him.

_Do I really do that? _The fallen prince asked himself.

Footsteps echoed down the stairway, followed by the sounds of keys sliding into locks. A visitor. Hans sat up on his mat, perturbed. He did not appreciate being interrupted when he was trying to sleep.

"Go away, Kristan," he snarled. "I've had enough of your whining about trying to make things up." His eldest brother annoyed him with his visits. Always trying to be the protective white knight.

"Oh, Hans," a loud but smooth voice not belonging to Kristan replied. Hans' heart skipped a beat, eyes briefly widening. "I'm flattered, but you know as well as I do that I don't care about making up."

Gustav. Hans knew what this meant. He shifted uncomfortably on the dirty mat.

The elder prince rounded the corner, followed by two guards. Wearing the familiar sideburns his ginger hair matched Hans, though considerably more unruly. His eyes matched his hair, a controlled fury glowing in them. He wore his royal uniforms, but it was clear he carried a slight disdain for it. Valuing it only for the power it gave him. Gustav smiled at his younger brother, slowing taking off his jacket. He was taller than Hans, and had a slightly more muscular build hidden by his uniform.

As much as Hans hated Kristan, he'd much rather him be visiting.

Gustav handed the jacket to one of the guards, who took it carefully. He licked his lips.

"So I hear the Queen of Arendelle visited you," Gustav began. This was one game Hans hated to play ever since he was a kid.

"Yes," he responded with a smile. "It was quite a nice visit."_ Please leave_.

The tall prince signaled the guards with his hand. The one not holding the jacket walked up to the cell door and opened it. Hans' stomach churned.

"Come on, little brother," Gustav said with a smile. "_Stand up_. I didn't come down here to wait." His expression changed, the smile morphing into something more sinister. Hans carefully stood up, eyes locked on his brother's. Without realizing it, Hans put on a fierce face to challenge his brother. Gustav strolled into the cell.

"Put your hands up," the prince barked. Hans put his shackled hands up.

_Here it comes._

Gustav shot a punch right at Hans' face. The younger prince managed to just barely block it as he fell backwards. Hans' opponent snatched his shirt, following with another punch that connected with his nose. Before Hans could recover he felt a shot to his gut. He gasped for breath. Gustav released his younger brother and launched a haymaker, which Hans was unable to counter because his shackles ran taut. He took the punch on his left cheek, feeling it cut his skin. He stumbled, pulled to the ground with a yank by his shackles. Gustav leapt on top of him, pinning the former prince down. Sadistic glee smeared on his face.

"So what do you think Hans?! Just like old times!" Gustav yelled. The young former prince's hands were held down by the chains. Hans closed his eyes.

Gustav wailed on his younger brother. Punch after punch connecting, smacking his face back and forth. Hans fought tears as his brother beat him. It felt like it went on forever. He couldn't keep track of how many times his brother was hitting him. Hans only felt the pain of each punch and the blood trickling down his face from the fresh cut.

And then it stopped. Hans tentatively opened his eyes. Gustav was still above him, breathing heavily.

"Now wasn't that fun?" He got out between breaths, patting Hans' left cheek. Hans remained silent as pain seared from his cut. Gustav pushed off of his brother to get up, forcing his full weight on the bruised man. The violent prince exited the cell, nodding to the guards to close it. He looked down at his bloodied white gloves. A smirk emerged from his mouth. Gustav glanced back at Hans, crumpled on the wet ground. Hans spit out blood.

"Have a nice night!" Gustav strutted up the stairs, followed by the guards. Hans crawled over to his mat, the dirty rag sounding a lot better now. He curled up, letting a few tears escape with a muffled whine.

* * *

**OOPS. I'm sorry. This ended up being a lot more depressing than I had originally intended. Apparently "Older brother beating Hans" turned out to be a lot more…. involved than I thought. It was also really hard to write. I kept having to take breaks from it. Honestly Gustav legitimately scares me. This chapter wasn't nearly as long as the first chapter but it's still longer than I thought it would be (I keep doing that). But I do love putting in sisterly moments between Anna and Elsa. Those always warm my heart. Gustav is just one of several brothers you'll see in the fic. In fact you'll meet another one of Hans' brothers in the next chapter. Please look forward to it! And don't forget to review!**


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